Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
This Chocolate Cake is perfect for a party! Moist chocolate cake layers, filled and frosted with a sweet and delicate raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream, for a pretty pink dessert that's sure to delight!
Isn't this a pretty pink cake?
Is it bad that I made it for my husband's birthday? Be honest.
It's ok. I know it is. This cake has no business being at a grown man's birthday celebration. I feel terrible about it. But what can I say? After the dude food bonanza known as Superbowl, I just really needed something frilly and flowery for Valentine's Day.
When it comes to desserts, I've got two top favorite categories: one is sweet/salty and the other is chocolate/fruit. Chocolate and raspberry is a gorgeous combination and it works beautifully in this towering triple-layer beauty. Besides being lovely for your Valentine, I think it would be equally fitting for a bridal or baby shower, a little girl's birthday party, or even for Mother's Day.
The cake itself is rich and deeply chocolate-y. It's actually just this cupcake recipe, baked in three 8-inch round cake pans. The recipe is tried and true. It is, hands-down, the most popular recipe on my site. Everyone loves it because it's easy to make, moist, and the flavor is off the charts. When combined with a subtly sweet, light and fruity raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream, it's just dreamy.
I know the decoration looks fancy but honestly, you won't believe how simple it really is. I will be demo-ing it this Wednesday on Fox Good Day, so if you're in the Philly area keep an eye on the tv around 9:30 am EST. If not, I'll be putting the clip up later that afternoon, so I'll add a link back to this post then.
*UPDATE: Watch the clip here.*
Just FYI, I love this kind of piping bag for decorating with buttercream. And the tip I used here is a 1M. One tip makes both kinds of rosettes that you see here. I also added a sprinkling of these and these, to make it extra pretty. Maximum impact; minimal effort.
PS- I don't think my husband really minded all that much!
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Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (62.5 g) cake flour
- 1 cup (86 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting*
- 2 cups (240 g) frozen raspberries,, thawed
- 6 egg whites
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, (4 sticks), softened
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously mist three 8-inch diameter cake pans with non-stick spray, and line with circles cut from parchment paper.
- Place the sugar, flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Cut the butter into smaller pieces and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles damp sand (30 seconds to a minute).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
- When all of the eggs are fully incorporated, add the Greek yogurt and vanilla, and beat on medium speed for about 60 to 90 seconds, to aerate the batter and strengthen the cake's structure.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean or with one or two moist crumbs. Cool completely, then fill and frost with raspberry buttercream.
Make the frosting:
- Puree the thawed berries in a food processor, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the seeds.
- Place the puree in a small pot and cook on medium-low heat until thickened and reduced by about half. You should have about ¼ cup of cooked puree. Set aside to cool.
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a large mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
- Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is smooth, thin, and translucent, and it no longer feels gritty when rubbed between the thumb and forefinger.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk on medium-high speed until fluffy and stiff, and no hint of warmth remains when you place your hand on the side of the bowl.
- Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, whipping after each addition. If the mixture seems runny, place it in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes, then re-whip. When all the butter has been added and the mixture is fluffy and spreadable, stir in the cooled raspberry puree until fully incorporated.
Really beautiful! Would you be able to tell me about how tall a cake these 3 layers will make? I love tall cakes! Thank you!
Hey Paula! I'd estimate it's probably 6 or 8 inches tall, but if you want something taller you could use 6-inch cake pans. You'll probably have to adjust the bake times a bit to account for the thicker layers, but that would give you a very tall cake! Hope that's helpful 🙂
How long does this cake last if I want it for a wedding will it last a couple of days?
It should last at least that long Amber, and it freezes very well too!
Hi Allie!! I am such an amateur baker, but I love trying new recipes. My husband picked your recipe out just from looking at the picture and asked me to bake it for his birthday. I didn't dissolve the sugar enough and it was still runny after doing the butter, so I put it in the fridge like you said and it helped a lot. I actually had to leave it in the fridge for an hour because we had a game to go to, but it turned out well. And SOO YUMMY!! I am in love. I also noticed that my cake became brownie like and sank a little in the middle, but hey, I am easy to please, and it still tastes good. But for next time, how can I avoid the sinkage? Thank you again for your recipe!
Hey Suzy! So happy you and your husband enjoyed for the most part! I think that sinkage is probably a result of either a) opening the oven before the cake's structure has fully solidified (perhaps to test for doneness?) or b) slightly underbaking. So maybe next time just give it plenty of time in the oven 😉 Hope that's helpful!
Heyy ? This cake looks amazing!!!! But I have a question I tried such a frosting last weekend and it was really disgusting I don't know what I did wrong... It was perfect at the beginning but then I put it out to cool down and when I mixed it again it was really flaky and crumbling and not smooth do you know what I did wrong eventually the egg whites and the sugar were to hot when I mixed it with the butter... I have no idea what went wrong can you help me because I really want to try this cake because tomorrow is my birthday....
Hey Zora! I'm a little confused- did you use this recipe or was it from somewhere else?
Made a 'try-out'-cake yesterday and it came out sooooo nice. Gonna do this for my daughters birthday next week. Think I'm going to make two versions. One like the cake above and one with chocolate-frosting. Thank you for sharing the recipe❤️?
Oh that's so great to hear! Happy birthday to your daughter and I hope she loves the cakes!
OMG, i made this cake for my sister in law's 50th birthday. How devine. It was so delicious and everyone loved it. I'm making two large cakes today for 21st birthdays... at tradition in New Zealand and Australia. So I'm doing the chocolate cake recipe. Couldn't go pink for the icing as the cakes are for boys. All good. I will be making this recipe for years to come. Thank you 🙂
Aw, I'm so thrilled that you were happy with it Debra! Thanks so much for the awesome comment and the great feedback. Happy birthday to the boys!
Made this cake for my mom's birthday - chocolate and raspberry is one of her favorite combos! The cake turned out great, though I did have a little trouble with the icing - I don't have a cloth strainer so I was trying to get the puree through a mesh one, and it just wasn't having it! I think my problem was that my raspberries were still a teensy bit frozen. And then I made the mistake of trying to whisk in the puree instead of folding it in gently, which took a ton of the air out of the gorgeous icing. Still, after a while of whipping it got back to normal. The icing was SO SMOOTH and creamy! I've never tried icing cooked that way before and it was SO worth the extra effort! I'm not so great at cake decorating, I just iced it and put some fresh raspberries on it, it looked great! I bet my mom will be requesting this one again next year!
I'm so glad it worked out for you Irene! I was the same way the first time I tried this kind of icing. Now I never want to go back! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, and happy belated to your mom 🙂
Hi there,
Can the cake be iced the day before.
Much appreciated
Debra
Yes it can Debra!
Thanks Allie. I made the cake last night. In 9" tins. So far so good:-) icing today...
Do you think I could use Vanilla Yougert? It's what I have on hand. Or, is the yougert in sub of oil? In which case, do you think Cola would be a good flavour in this recipe exactly as is?
Hey Amanda! The yogurt is not in place of oil- there's already butter in the recipe so no need for any additional fat. And I don't think I'd recommend using vanilla yogurt either, there's probably a lot of added sugar in that. If you can't get your hands on plain Greek yogurt, try subbing regular plain, unsweetened yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk. You can make your own buttermilk by adding a couple teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of regular milk. Hope that helps!
Hello,
I have no idea what is cup cake flour. Do you have a brand you recommend or a store I can but it at. Also can i just use regular all purpose flour and not put the cup cake flour?
Hi Kaylee! I like cake flour for this particular recipe- it produces a lighter texture and a finer crumb. I typically buy Swan's Down or Softasilk. It's usually in the same aisle as regular all-purpose flour. Just look for "cake flour," (it's not "cup cake flour"). You want to use 1/2 cup of cake flour. Hope that helps!
Just wondering if you leveled this cake or if is too moist to be leveled
I honestly can't remember if this one needed levelling or not, but I use this chocolate cake often and if it ever comes out domed I do slice off the top a bit. Usually it bakes up pretty flat because of the lower oven temp, but if it needs levelling or torting I take a serrated bread knife to it and it works fine, especially if I've chilled it in the fridge first. Hope that helps Paula!
This looks amazing. I want to make this the night before it is served. Would this keep overnight on the counter?
Thanks Victoria! Yes it absolutely will. In fact I like it better when it's had a chance to rest a bit, and meld. I hope you enjoy!
Hi Allie! I was just wondering how you get your cakes to cut perfectly for pictures. Do you refrigerate them before cutting? I'm just imagining cutting a cake and having the frosting blend into the cake after being cut. And the pieces squishing down on the sides. Yours look perfect! Just curious, thanks!
Hey Tara! Thanks for the great question! This cake right here, I actually wasn't all that happy with the way it cut, to be honest. The frosting didn't squish out the sides at all (I don't usually have that problem), but the soft cake kind of crumbled into the frosting when I sliced it. I think it works much better when I refrigerate the cake for a while. I did that with this one (which is actually the same cake recipe, just with a different frosting) and I was much happier with the way it came out. I left it in the fridge for a few hours and then let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before slicing. The frosting can't be too cold or else it will crack. I hope that helps!
I haven't had this in years. such a delicious cake. thanks for sharing.
Simon
I'm so happy you liked it Simon! Thanks so much for the great feedback 🙂
Hi Allie! Thanks so much for your wonderful recipe! I made it last night for my 2-year-old's birthday today, and it was a massive hit! I'm thinking of making it an annual recipe! Loved it so much. Thanks again! xx
Oh wow! Thank you so much for this Rebekah! I'm so happy everyone loved the cake so much. And happy birthday to your little one 🙂
This is such a pretty cake! I've been searching for a chocolate cake recipe that uses butter instead of vegetable oil and can't wait to try it. Just one question: would I be able to use sour cream instead of Greek yoghurt? I actually have a tub of sour cream in my fridge that I need to use up. Thank you!
Hey Stephanie! I have made this recipe with sour cream many times and it works great. Thanks so much for the sweet compliments and the great question. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! 🙂
Oh my goodness of course! That's what I'm here for 🙂 I hope you love the cake as much as I did!
I totally did! (And everyone else who ate a slice!) I ended up making it with a combination of Greek yoghurt AND sour cream (didn't have enough Greek yoghurt!) and the batter was so creamy smooth. I LOVE THIS CAKE. I have tried many chocolate cakes in the last year but there was always something lacking (and I really wanted a cake with butter, not oil). This is THE ONE for me, it was just right in terms of moistness and had a good chocolate flavour. I also didn't have to worry about remembering to take the butter out beforehand. THANK YOU for not just posting this recipe, but for your useful instructions (including speed and how many seconds)—I followed them to a T. I baked it in a 9 x 13 inch for 30 minutes and used the leftover sour cream to make a sour cream-choc ganache to top it with, so yummy. I will have to try your raspberry buttercream the next time, and there WILL be a next time.
One last question though: Have you tried baking this with dark cocoa powder? Will other ingredients need to be adjusted if it is used?
(Once again, thank you! I've been searching for the right cake to bake for my son's birthday and I'm just in time!)
Hey Stephii! I am so sorry this comment got buried while I was on vacation last week and I'm just finding it now! I'm absolutely thrilled that you liked this recipe. As for your question- I have tried subbing some of the cocoa out for dark and I've been happy with the result. But there was another reader who completely replaced all of the regular cocoa with dark and she thought it tasted a little soapy. So I'd say maybe just do half and half, that seems to work ok! Good luck and I hope that helps!